Method for generating gears



A. w. KLOMP METHOD FOR GENERATING GEARS July 28, 1953 Filed July "27 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. fllfrea 1M K/ /rr July 28, 1953 w, KLQMP 2,646,724

METHOD FOR GENERATING GEARS Filed July 27, 1946 2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 HTT'OENE'Y n 0/ a v T m. i W W wk. 4 1% p M W 4 d 9 a 9 m 3. my 4r & 4 w %A @M v 1. 4 .2 w W 5 WM Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD FOR GENERATING GEARS Alfred W. I Klomp, Detroit, Mich}, assignor to Process Gear and Machine 00., Detroit, Mich.

- Application July 2'1, 1946, Serial No. 686,772

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the art of gears, sprockets, shapes and tooth members such as splines, etc., and in particular to a new, novel and useful tool for cuttinggears and the like, and the method of using same to generate teeth and shapes. 1

An important feature of the invention is that the cutting face of the tool is approximately equal to a half gear tooth in cross-section. In other words, when a gear tooth is split longitudinally on its center line, the cuttin face of the tool has the same configuration in cross section as each of the halves with the cutting edge of the cutting face outlining a half tooth.

The cutting face is so positioned on the tool that the line of the cutting face corresponding to the longtudinal center line of a gear tooth, is positioned on the longitudinal axis of rotation of the tool, so that when the tool rotates; the.

cutting face will pivot about the longitudinal center line or axis of the tool thereby describing a cutting circle which equals a whole gear tooth in cross section.

The shank portion of the tool is formed by the cutting face ascending about the longitudinal center line of the tool in a cylindrical helix with a shoulderon the face portion providing an area on the shank of the tool for holding and gripping same in'a chuck or holder. The'helix allows the tool to b'e'ground back andsharpened without changing the configuration of the cutting face.

, Another important part of the invention is that the tool in cutting or forming a gear, shape, or toothed object, generates the tooth orfshape on the object or blank. By the term generate is meant that the shape cut or formed is'not the complement of the shape of the cutting face of thetool or of thecutting circle of the tool, but rather that the shape formed is conjugate to the cutting edge or circle of the tool at an infinite number of points during the cutting operation.

In other words, the tool in this invention generates the tooth or shape on the workpiece or blank by cutting conjugate to the workpiece at an infinite number of points with the conjugate points outlining the desired tooth shape. It is in this sense that the term generate is used.

A very important part of the invention is the fact that the method of generating a shape or tooth introduces a gear to gear relationship between the tool and the blank or workpiece. This means that while theworkpiece is being fed l; into the cutting circleof the tool, .the.workpiece and/or the tool are describing movements relating relation with a gear blank showing the tool's half a conjugate gear tooth.

2 tive to one another identical to conjugate gears in working relation, which action is more fully described hereinafter.

An object of the invention is to provide a gear cuttin or generating tool with a cutting face or edge approximately equal in cross section to one- Another object is to provide a tool with a cutting face ascending in a helix about the longitudinal axis of the tool, about which axis, the tool is rotated in operation.

A further object is toprovide means for using the tool to generate shapes, teeth and gears.

A further object is to provide a gear cutting or generating tool that has a cuttingface capable of retaining its form and dimension when worn or ground back along the helical shank.

A further object is to provide a gear cutting or generating tool that can be used and sharpened until it is consumed thereby eliminating waste in high speed steel.

Otherobjects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the tool, in cutcutting face or area conforming to the shape of a gear tooth which is conjugate to the tooth or gear being generated;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of the relation between the tool and the workpiece when using the tool according to the method described to'generate teeth on the workpiece;

Fig. 3 is an elevational end View of a mechanism employed in operating the tool and the workpiece in'generating cylindrical gears; V

Fig. 4' is a cross sectional view of Fig. 3 taken on the line 44 thereof;

Fig.5 is an elevational view of the tool rising out of a mating ring gear and in cutting. rela- 'tion with a pinion gear showing the tool s cutting face conforming to the configuration of one half the cross section-of the'mating internalring gear tooth;

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of a mecha-- nism employed in using the tool to generate gears; and

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of Fig. 6 taken on the line 71 thereof.

Gear teeth, to be useful, must transmit power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft evenly and with a minimum of friction and interference and to accomplish "this purpose several systems of teeth -''have been developed among which are the cycloidal, segmental, involute and parabolic.

The involute system is herein referred to for purposes of explanation and illustration as this system embodies the simplest and best tooth curve actually and theoreticallya twellas being one of the greatest practical :use-in gearing. However, it is not intended to limit the use of the invention to this one system as the invention is adaptable to other systems as well. This is fully described hereinafter and is also described in my -co-pending applications, Serial Numbers 651,601, now Patent No. 2,620,549 granted December 9,

1952 and 672,002, now abandoned.

Referring to Fig. 1, tool 10 is equipped with cutting face II which is approximately equal in cross section to a'halftooth-of imaginary geariZ.

The tool Ill revolves about its longitudinal axis A-.-A which causes cutting fa'ce I! to pivot about the axis -A--A which-creates acutting circlewhich is the equivalent of a whole-tooth of the imaginary gear 'l-2. The tool I is formed by the cutting face :H ascending about-the longitudinal axis A-A in .a helix with theshouloler portion It providing an area for gripping the tool in a holder or collet.

The tool [0, :Fig. l, isshown rising out of an zimaginarygear I2 in mating gear relation with "or-conjugatetoigear blank I which is in cutting relation with the tool It. When the tool It is rotated-about the axis -'AA the cutting face i! :of the tool IU occupies-the area of a whole tooth 0f the imaginary conjugate gear 52 and generates on the blank I5 teeth that will mate with the :imaginary'conjugategear I2. In generating the teeth'on the blank I5, the tool It is stationary and-rotates about the axis A-'A'while the blank .15 moves in workingrelation therewith by moving throughthejpositions Y and. Z, Fig. 2, and an infinite :number-of positions'therebetween on the Relative to the mechanism for accomplishing :this action,-support member 20, Figs. 3 and 4, is

slidably mounted by means of slide I9 on table 2! for feeding the blank into the cutting area or circleof the tool It as held in and rotated by holder 22. Spindle 23 is journaled in member Zil with supporting arm member 24 and master spur gear 'l-fi rotatably'bearinged on either end thereof. Spindle '25 is journaled in the arm member 24 with-master spur gear 26 and the gear blank I5 positioned on either end thereof and held-against rotation by conventional means, not shown. In-

against rotation relative to the spindle 25, the

blank I5 hasthe same arcuate and rotary movemerit as thegear ZS andswings in the are 13-13 40f the slide It with the dog 2'I holding the gear lfiagainstlotation. The crank ii is then operatedfirst'in one direction and then in a reverse direction which "causes the arm 26, spindle 25,

zgear =2:6'andiblank I5 to move in the are BB, .and, as .the gear I6 is stationary, rotary movementi's imparted to the blank I 5 by the spindle ;Z5,;as hereinbefore set forth. The feed of the slide I9 and the crank H are preferably operated simultaneously,.however, one or the othermay be performed separately. To advance theblank one tooth, the indexing-dog .27 is disengaged from the gear lfiand the gear 251s advanced, which action also advances .the blank l5.

The relation between the gear 25 and the gear blank 15, relative to advancing the gear blank I5,

necessitates that the gear 26 have either the same number of teethas will be generated on the .blank I5 .or a numberof teeth that is a multiple of the number of teeth that will be generated in the gear blank I5. It follows, that, if these numbers are the same,"the blank I5 will be advanced one tooth when the gear-Z a is advanced one. tooth. Also, that, if these numbers are not the same,..then the gear blank I5 will be advanced one tooth when the gear 26 is advanced the multiple number of teeth. However, the ratio between the gear 26 and the gear I 6 must be taken into consideration as the indexing dog 27 secures the gears 25 and I6 relative to the gear blank I5 by allowing the gear I 3 to rotate for the proper adjustment and by securing the agar I6 against rotation with the proper adjustment also thereby secured. .It is thought that anyoneskilled in the art of gearing can readily determine the relations and ratios, and, if necessary, the multiples hereinbefore mentioned.

Referring to Fig. 5,'the tool It has a cutting face with the configuration of approximately a half tooth of an imaginary conjugate internal ring gear 40 with gear blank I5 describing the arc CC as it operates in conjunction with the imaginary conjugate ring gear' lil, which are CC is the inverse of the arc 'B-Bhereinbefore set forth.

Relative to Fig. 5, and referring to the mechanism for generating gears, support member 39, Figs. 6 and I, is slidably mounted on table 2| by means of slide '38 with sector 45 connected thereto by 'means of arm '42 which is pivotally mounted at 43 to the member 39 and is held in position by spring '44. The sector 55 is a portion of a master ring gear and meshes with pinion gear AI which is carried by spindle 41 which is journaledin rotary member 46, which is, in turn, ,J'ournaled in support member '39. The gear blank I5 is vmounted on the opposite end of the spindle 4'! from the master gear 4!. Worm 48 is positioned on support member 39 and is operated by crank "49 and co-acts with sector 50 which is attached to rotary member '45. The-sector 50 bears no relation to the sector or'the imaginary-ring gear 49 and is used only for co-acting with the worm 48 to move the 5 rotary member 46 and the members carried thereon through the arc -0. The tool In and the holder 22 are so positioned that when the tool is rotated, it will describe a cutting circle approximately equal in axial cross section to a tooth on the imaginary conjugate ring gear 49.

In operation, the blank is fed into the path of the tool I 0 by means of the slide 38 while the crank 49 is turned in one direction and then turned in the opposite direction which causes the sector 50 to move back and forth across the worm 48 which causes the rotary member 46 upon which the sector 50 is secured to rotate in one direction and then rotate is a reverse direction thereby causing the spindle 41 to travel back and forth in the arc CC.

As the pinion gear 4| is mounted on the spindle 47 and secured against rotation, it also travels in the arc CC, and, as it is meshed in Working relation with the sector 45, such movement imparts a rotary movement to the gear M and the spindle 41, and, as the blank I5 is mounted on the other end of the spindle 47 and secured against rotation, the blank has the same movement and motion as the gear 4|.

To advance the blank I5 one tooth, the sector 45 is disengaged from the gear 41 and the gear 4! is advanced. This is accomplished by means of the spring 44 which allows the disengagement of the ring gear sector 45 and pinion 4|. The relations, ratios and, if necessary, multiples in this instance are determined the same as previously described relative to Figs. 3 and 4.

The tool generates the teeth in the blank by cutting out the area of the blank between the teeth thereof and the blank is advanced as hereinbefore described until a complete gear is generated out of the blank 15.

The action of the mechanisms described can be reversed with the tool 19 moving in the arc B-B or CC and with the blank 15 remaining stationary but rocking or rotating about its axis during the cutting operation, or, both the tool and the blank can move in synchronized relation in appropriate arcs without departing from the invention.

Various other adaptations, changes, substitutions, omissions and additions can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof as the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of generating a gear which consists in the steps of rotating a cutting face about an axis which intersects and is perpendicular to the axis of the blank gear, moving the blank in an are so that its axis moves toward and away from the intersection of the cutting face axis and the blank axis, moving the axis of the blank toward and away from the cutting face to perform the cutting operation, and indexing the blank.

2. The method of generating a gear which consists in the steps of rotating a cutting face about an axis which intersects the axis of the gear blank and which is normally at right angles thereto, moving the gear blank longitudinally of its axis into and out of cutting relation to the cutting face and swinging the axis of the gear blank toward and away from the cutting face, and indexing the blank.

ALFRED W. KLOMP.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 19,831 James Sept. 12, 1865 1,633,051 Trbojevich June 21, 1927 2,126,990 Graves Aug. 16, 1938 2,286,709 Barcus June 16, 1942 2,327,296 Wildhaber Aug. 17, 1943 2,367,841 Monroe Jan. 23, 1945 2,371,770 Miller Mar. 20, 1945 2,377,329 Dettmer June 5, 1945 

